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One-Step Easy Contouring

01/15/16 | Beauty, makeup, Sephora

The sacred word.  The bad word.  The scary word.  The expensive word. I have heard all four of these and more used to describe contouring.  This makeup trend has been mainstream for nearly two years and the Kardashians seem to own the copyright.  It is true, with highlighting and contouring your face can look incredibly chiseled, ten pounds lighter, and the “better” version of you but most think it takes a ton of skill and money to achieve and they are half right. If you want to look like Kim, yes, but if you want to look lke you, but just a little bit better, no. 

Easy Contouring 02

I have tried the acclaimed Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette and it is as good as all of the beauty bloggers and top YouTube stars say it is.  It takes a ton of practice and is a bit hefty, both in price and weight, so if you are a beginner or beauty on-the-goer like me, getting read at the gym before work in the morning, I have found an easy, one-step contouring solution!

It is a fraction of the size of the big palettes and is $20, no brush needed!  For the last month my go-to has been the Sephora Highlight Lowlight Face Contour Duo in Medium: 

Sephora Highlight Lowlight Face Contour Duo in Medium

The matte highlighter and warm contour glide on smoothly are are extremely buildable to achieve whatever look you are going for but the real question is – where to apply it? 

I have been a fan of Cara from Maskcara for years and her diagrams on highlighting and contouring for your face shape are spot on. Personally, I think my face is somewhere in-between an oval and a heart shape so when doing a quick and easy contour I try and follow a mix of Cara’s two illustrations: 

Highlighting and Contouring for Your Face Shape - Oval and Heart

Taking the brown end of the stick I make sure to darken around the hairline on my forehead, down the sides of my nose, and just below my cheekbones. With the lighter end I draw inverted triangles below both eyes, in-between my brows, and always put a bit of highlight just under my lip. Here is a close up: 

Easy Contouring 01

And then blend, blend, blend. The finished product? 

After Easy Contouring

Do you contour? 

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Comments

  1. hanna says

    January 18, 2016 at 2:11 am

    Thanks for the tips! –Hanna Lei

  2. Ana Prodanovich says

    January 17, 2016 at 11:53 pm

    Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    anaprodanovich.com

  3. geri says

    January 17, 2016 at 10:32 pm

    contouring is so in right in and im still learning. but yours look amazing.

    xoxo,
    geri

    http://everydaylivingnyc.blogspot.com/

  4. Ela says

    January 17, 2016 at 9:06 am

    I try to contour but I am not really good at it. Like you said, I guess it requires so much practicing and also time. I haven’t seen that sephora duo before, it can be a good way to start contouring. You did a good job, I wish I could be that good 🙂

    http://www.elabellaworld.com

  5. Bina says

    January 16, 2016 at 6:02 am

    That looks great on you. I love contouring!
    xxbina
    stryleTZ

  6. Benedetta says

    January 16, 2016 at 5:59 am

    Wooow very easy to do..and the result it’s so great!!!
    Be happy with Fashion

  7. Caroline L. says

    January 15, 2016 at 3:51 pm

    I have the Clinique chubby stick version of this, and it’s awesome!! For everyday work, I really only use the contouring stick, but for nighttime or weekends, I’ll pull out the highlighter as well 🙂

  8. Mary Kate says

    January 15, 2016 at 11:50 am

    I’m terrible at contouring, but I might have to try this method! It doesn’t look *terribly* hard? (I hope?)!

    Mary Kate
    http://www.mynewchicagolife.com

  9. Alyssa says

    January 15, 2016 at 11:08 am

    I do highlight and contour and actually use Cara’s IIID foundation! I absolutely love it and highly recommend it!

    Alyssa | Glitter and Grey

  10. Alecz says

    January 15, 2016 at 11:06 am

    Oh my gosh, I’m so terrified of conturing! But you make it look so easy! Well done.

    https://forsevenseasons.wordpress.com

  11. Rakel says

    January 15, 2016 at 9:57 am

    I have to practice more! ^^

    http://www.alovelystyle.com/

  12. Victoria Fox says

    January 15, 2016 at 9:08 am

    Obsessing over the concept of contouring and over this stick I need to try this soon!
    xoxo,Victoria
    http://www.coffeeandablonde.blogspot.com

  13. Candice says

    January 15, 2016 at 7:41 am

    The contour stick looks like such a convenient way to contour!

    Candice | Beauty Candy Loves

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog.  I am a New York City girl at heart but I moved to London in the Spring of 2018!

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